In the Cauldron
by dgj212
Summary: Sometimes, you just have to reach for the hand that's extended to you, even if that hand belongs to the devil. In an alternate universe where Izuku didn't find out All Might's secret nor get the chance to impress him, Izuku is given a choice. Izuku could get an honest shot at being a hero, but is he willing to pay the cost? Alt Power Izuku.
1. Offer

Just came to me, and I figured it would be interesting at least. I was honestly going to wait until I had more stuff done, but I read chapter 213 of BnHA, and I knew I had to post something. I mean this chap has me in a tough spot. My opinion is all over the place. Anyway Read, Enjoy, and Review!

P.S. it's fanfic, if you feel like writing something similar or borrow an idea, go for it, just send me a link, I like reading too!

I don't own Worm or BnHA/MHA

* * *

He was scared.

His body trembled as he rode the train. He tried to control it as best as he could, but he couldn't help it. He was nauseous as it was, his stomach doing flips and turns while his skin crawled. He felt clammy, but after moving to dry off the clammy area of the skin, he found no sweat which only further fueled his nervousness.

It was the last train. He had lied to his mother about where he was going to be in order to get out of the house. He didn't think the lie would hold up.

He looked at his phone and saw the battery was around 23%. If he had to, he would run a bunch of apps in order to quickly drain the phone of power to cement a lie that he hadn't thought of yet. He closed his eyes and tried to think of something else.

Before he realized it the train had already stopped. He quickly rushed out the train before the doors closed. He breathed rapidly while holding his duffle bag tightly. He quickly let go of the pressure, checked the time and decided to move.

It was some city he had never been to. It was also the farthest he's ever been from home. He checked the time for the last train home and grimaced when he found the next one left early in the upcoming morning.

He shook his head, trying to calm himself and walked out to the streets. He wore dark colored jeans and a dark green hoodie with the kanji for "hoodie" on it along with t-shirt with the kanji for "shirt" printed on it.

He has a sheet of paper in his pocket with instructions, but he read it so much to the point that he memorized it.

He walked down the street, crossed left. Kept going down, to a rundown part of the city. He crossed through a nearby park and made a right. When he got to a dark alleyway that had a stylized C spray painted, he entered and checked his phone. He still had five minutes until the time of the meeting. He took out the sheet of paper, bit his bottom lip as he debated, but proceeded to tear to it to pieces as thoroughly as he could.

When he was done, he was breathing heavily. He swallowed his spit and calmed himself down.

At the moment he was doubting his decision.

* * *

The day before, he stopped All Might from jumping away, right after being rescued from a villain with a weird quirk that made his body malleable. He asked if someone like himself could be a hero.

" _Sorry kid. I can't in good conscience say it's possible without a quirk."_

Then he jumped away.

Izuku wasn't in the best state of mind after that. All Might gave brief logical reasons (he seemed to be in a rush), sure, but it didn't change how Izuku felt. Having a hero, and not just any hero, but a personal (and also the greatest) hero tell you that you had no shot at becoming a hero because of being quirkless...it was devastating.

After standing around for a while he decided to...just move, to go anywhere. He walked aimlessly for a long while until-

" _Do you want to be a hero?"_

He turned to see a woman with pale skin and black hair that reach past her shoulders, striking the right balance of wavy and curly. She wore a black suit that looked like it was fitted to her body, wore a white dress shirt underneath, black tie and a black fedora.

* * *

A quick conversation, mostly on the beautiful woman's part, some brief instructions after signing an NDA form, which she explained in a way that was easy for him to understand, and he found himself where he currently was: Out late at night, in a city he had never been in, his mother had no clue about his whereabouts, and his valuables in his dufflebag...alone...in a dark alleyway.

He pressed his back against the wall and closed his eyes and sighed. "What am I even doing?" he asked himself.

"AHEM," a woman loudly clearing her throat prompted Izuku to open his eyes. In front of him was a woman with dark skin and short black hair tied back to a bun. She was dressed in white dress with a lab coat over it and had an electronic pad in her hands.

"...Buah!" Izuku jumped in fright while clutching his duffle bag when his mind caught up to him. The lady didn't so much as bat an eye to his reaction. Though she did, however, eye his hair with curiosity. She stepped aside and motioned him forward. Izuku got a good look what was behind her. A long hallway with white walls, ceilings and white tiled floors, almost like a hospital. But the weirdest thing about it...the hallway was longer than the building in front of Izuku, he knows it's not connected to the other building because the other building was practically gone, lost in some sort of fire or something.

 _Teleportation quirk,_ Izuku reasoned. He would have been nerding out if he wasn't feeling so nervous and scared. What she wanted was easy enough to determine, so with shaky steps, he started walking forward. The woman, upon seeing him move, turned and started walked. Izuku stopped briefly, a moment of confusion and uneasiness. He swallowed hard and quickly followed behind her. As soon as he stepped through, there was a rush of air and everything around him shook violently, a bit like earthquake really, but he didn't feel it. The sight was brief, three seconds at most.

He didn't have to, he was sure of it, but he did so anyway. He turned around, he frowned and shivered a bit. Behind him was just another long hallway. The alley he had been in was gone.

"Coming?"

He quickly turned to the woman, who apparently called out to him in English. "Ah! Y-yes!" he replied in the same Language, though not as proficient.

His steps echoed in the hallway as he walked at a brisk pace to catch up to the woman. The echoes were loud, not terribly so but it made hallway seem that much emptier then what the size would suggest, almost as if it was devoid of life.

She eventually opened a door and motioned him inside.

It was just a small room with white walls, a large desk with two chairs, a computer screen, keyboard, but no mouse.

"Sit," the woman motioned to the chair in front of the desk while she walked behind it. He did so obediently, setting his duffle bag beside him. "How good is your English?"

"I-I-I-I O-Okay," he struggled in the said language through his nervousness.

"But not proficient," she stated. From underneath the desk on her side, she pulled out a wired machine, about the size of a video game console. The box looked…like an art project. The dark grey color made it hard to tell if it was plastic or metal and it was surrounded by exposed wires that went everywhere and there were tons of speakers built into it. It had two buttons and some sort of sliding switch on the side.

The woman slid the witch and the machine hummed and crackled to life, crackling white noise leaking out of the speakers that seemed to reverberate around the room. She pressed a button and in an instant, the noise stopped.

"English and Japanese," she said.

" _E_ _ **n**_ _g_ _ **l**_ _i_ _ **s**_ _h a_ _ **n**_ _d J_ _ **a**_ _p_ _ **a**_ _n_ _ **e**_ _s_ _ **e**_ _,_ " repeated the box in a digitized voice followed by a series of incoherent sounds before it ended on a low hum. Izuku himself didn't know what to make of it.

"Can you understand me now?" The woman asked in perfect Japanese, but with a bit of an accent.

"Ah, y-yes I can," Izuku, surprise clearly evident in his face.

"I see, glad to know the device still works."

"Device? Wait, you mean-"

"I am not fluent in Japanese, and not for the lack of trying," the woman explained, but...there was something odd about the way she said it.

"B-b-but, I don't understand. I mean, I can clearly hear you talking in Japanese in your own voice," Izuku said.

"And to me, you sound as if you are speaking in English in your own fluent voice," she replied with a hint of mirth to her tone.

"What? But," he glanced at the box in front of him, still letting out a low-level hum, no sign that the pitch changed.

"From what I understand," she explained, "this device can interpret sounds and then translate it perfectly, idioms included. After translation, it then manipulates the sound waves in the language being spoken for the benefit of the other party. Handy, but not perfect. It works with only two mapped languages at a time. It also gets the best results when a discussion has only two participants," she explained.

"...That's impossible," Izuku finally said after thinking it over. Izuku was more into quirks and heroes, but that didn't mean he didn't realize that what the device did was practically impossible. It translated and changed the soundwaves almost instantly without even warping the voice or making it sound digital. It was on the same level as flipping a switch from one end of the room to turn off the lights and then being underneath the covers before the lights went out (assuming the lights didn't slowly turn off), it was simply impossible without a quirk. Though it did explain why the woman seemed odd.

"I'll think you'll find that "impossible" may not apply the way you think it does anymore," the woman explained, her words not matching her lips. It was like bad lip-synch of a foreign movie or a low budget animation. It was strange seeing it in real life. "Now then," she continued, "introductions are in order, I suppose."

"Oh, I'm-" Izuku was about to introduce himself but the woman put her hand up, stopping him.

"We've done our research, we know who you are," she explained causing a cold shiver to run down his spine, "but we found that giving our clients a sort of anonymity helps this discussion move along smoothly. Is there anything you would like us to call you by?"

Izuku thought it over, they already knew who he was so a nickname was pointless, that said, it did sound appealing. "Um….J-Junior," he replied. Deku, his nickname, was easy enough to identify him by, but Junior applied to a lot of people and is even a part of a person's name. It is also half the code name he came up with, among many others, when he was younger. All Might Jr. Though after the word left his mouth, he realized it was actually pointless considering they already knew who he was.

"Junior then," she replied, "some call me Mother, but that's more of a tongue-in-cheek thing," she explained. Though Izuku was confused by what she meant by that but guessed it was an informal nickname. "Those who choose to be more professional, call me Doctor."

"Doctor, ar-are you-"

"I am, Junior," she cut him off. "Now then, I'm sure you are aware of what we are offering."

"A...a quirk," he responded.

"No, but given your background, I can see why you would think that. Let me be clear. "Quirk," as you know them, are a kind of mutation. Something Cauldron is interested in. What we offer are abilities that do not originate from your genes."

"Cauldron?"

"The name of our organization."

"I-I see," Izuku said as he thought it over. Quirks were pretty much everything in regards to powers and supernatural abilities, for there to exist another source of power... it's incredible! "Can-"

"No." She said before he could even ask the question. "I can see it in your eyes. So far, when our clients with "quirks" have used our product, it resulted in failure. Some, sadly, were still alive." Izuku blanched at that. Being alive should be a good thing, shouldn't it?

"Y-you mean-"

"Ultimately our product has risks, we do narrow it as best we can. We have a mandatory two month waiting period where our clients undergo testing to mitigate those risks, but it is not a sure thing. The only thing you _can_ be certain of is that you will receive exactly what you pay for and be billed accordingly." Izuku nodded and played with his fingers underneath the table and stopped when he noticed it.

"How...how dangerous is it?"

Doctor didn't answer him right away. She just eyed him, causing him to fidget. "Normally I would say that our product isn't as lethal as it used to be. "Quirks," however, complicates things. That brings us to the problem. Tell me, do you believe a multiverse exist?"

"Multiverse….you mean, your-no that's-"

"Impossible?" The doctor finished with a raised eyebrow. A smile tugged her lips, "where do you think you are?" Izuku felt dread wash over him.

"I….some, somewhere in Japan."

"Well, Junior, we're actually in Africa...in an alternate universe where quirks don't exist, and the vast majority of the population in this reality are normal humans."

The doctor let him digest that.

"...but...why would you tell me?" He asked, his eyes were wide, a bit pale, a tremble here and there but he was still hanging on.

"Clarity. So that you understand your position and make the best-informed decision on your part, Junior. Naturally, the forms my assistant had you sign the day before covers this information. It should not be said that, Cauldron, would be justifiably upset on your part for breaching the agreement."

"Ah, r-right, I understand," Izuku nodded fervently. "And quirks and...these other power...they don't go well?"

"That's Cauldron's theory. The only success has been individuals who have not been mutated enough."

"People like me then...quirkless."

"Yes. Before we proceed, you understand that Cauldron is not a charity. We run a business," She stated factually.

"Ah! That, if...if what you said is true than...then, here," he brought up his duffle bag onto the table. He paused, closing his eyes before he forced himself to slowly open the duffle bag. He began to pull out item after item, neatly arranging them. When he was done, a decent amount of All Might memorabilia were neatly organized on the table. He looked at the Doctor, expecting maybe contempt or surprise, she didn't so much as bat an eye. Then again, Izuku was a kid so there really wasn't much he could do in terms of money, so maybe this was expected. "The-these are my collection," he said with a small shake, "um, I'm...I'm not... It has value in my home, um, earth."

"I see, you wouldn't happen to know the value of these items, would you?"

"Oh! Right here," he pulled out a different sheet of paper from his hoodie. He unfolded it and smoothed out the wrinkles. "I-I didn't know what denomination you wanted it in, so I did in both Yen and United States Dollars. Um, I have a value for each item, what it's worth and, um, or what it could be auctioned for." He handed the list to the Doctor. She looked at it and looked at the items on the table. He numbered them and used a small sticky note with an adhesive that would not leave a mark. Slowly she eyed the paper then, he assumed, looked for the corresponding item. Satisfied she nodded and set the list down.

"An impressive collection," she noted, "we will, of course, verify these figures," she tapped the list and Izuku nodded. "Since you brought these items, can I assume that you would not take offence to Cauldron handling the sale of this collection?"

"Ah," he was confused for a moment despite understanding the question, "no," he said, realizing he was gripping his right arm, "thank you for dealing with this on my behalf," he replied politely, hoping that was the right thing say.

"Then we can proceed. I'm I correct to assume that these items are the sum total of your budget?"

"Um, yes."

"Alright. Then we can discuss your options." The Doctor said as she looked at her computer and typed something in for a few minutes. She grabbed the list and proceeded, he assumed, to type in the list. "Cauldron," she began as she typed, "requires that at least two-thirds of the payment be made upfront with the remainder made over the course of six years."

"Six years," Izuku said.

"Yes, or default," she explained as she continued to type in the list.

"Default? You-you mean not pay? Isn't...isn't that bad?" Izuku asked.

"Very. The amount of time and effort used to chase down defaulters to recover our property could be put to better use," she stated.

"Take bac...that, that's possible?" Izuku asked with morbid curiosity.

"Of course," the doctor replied, "if we can give power, then it stands to reason that we also have the means to reclaim that power." Izuku blanched at the explanation as she stopped typing. "If this really is your sum total, then you are just shy from even being able to purchase a vial with a **P-1** value."

"P one?" Izuku repeated, but the doctor continued with her explanation.

"Not a real issue, given our time frame, but given your situation, I fear you won't be as satisfied as our normal patrons. See this," she turned the monitor to show Izuku a graph. "Note that the samples with the letters " **P** ," " **O** ," and " **R"** are the main factors for determining the price for our product. **P** value relating the raw effect of a power. A value of 1 in say a theme of...pyrokinesis, for example, would have you manipulating weak flames, like a match. A value of 7, on the other hand, would be significantly more powerful. The **O** value pertains to a power's uniqueness, to which I admit is in large part subjective. Certainly useful if you want to stand out, which if I understand it correctly, might come in handy with how heroics work in your reality." Izuku couldn't help but give hurried nods at that. Uniqueness would certainly help distinguish him from everyone else, though he himself is actually hesitant to stand out. "You are here," she pointed to the 1-range, "just barely able to afford a sample with **P-1** range, the weakest rating."

Izuku looked at the prices, noted the dollar sign, and swallowed a lump in his throat.

"People...actually have that much money to spend," he wondered out loud without much thought put into it.

"Some do, some take our discounts," Doctor explained, making him flinch, he didn't expect her to reply. Then his mind caught up with what she said.

"Eh? You, you offer discounts," Izuku asked with a mixture of hope and curiosity, a bit too desperate he realized.

"We do. We have a variety of programs and payment methods available, the nemesis program for example."

"Nemesis? Like a rival?" The doctor nodded.

"It's a program where we match you with another one of our clients. From what Cauldron has gathered, you want to be a hero, correct?"

"Um, yes, one of my goals-"

"I only need the yes, Junior," she interrupted him, causing him to flinch again. "With the nemesis program, we match you with a client with villainous aspirations. You basically put on a show for everyone watching, and we decide who wins on which occasions."

"Wait," Izuku interrupted, "you, you also sell to _villains_?" Izuku asked loudly, nearly jumping out of his chair.

"No Junior, we don't," Doctor replied, causing Izuku to settle down a little. "We make them. Heroes, villains, none of it matters to Cauldron. Ultimately, what our patrons do with their newfound abilities is entirely on them. If you wish to fight them, by all means, you are free to do so, so long as it does not hinder Cauldron."

"Huh? You crea-vil, wha-why?" Izuku raised his voice for the first time. "I mean, if you limited the sale of quirp-p-power to good people, it's, it's posib-"

"That, unfortunately, is counterproductive to Cauldron. See, our bill includes one stipulation, anyone who buys our product owes Cauldron one, unspecified, favor. Usually a task or a week of service. It doesn't take a genius to understand that a hero would have difficulties intermingling with the underworld; a villain, on the other hand, especially one with previous connections, wouldn't. Assume a client with underworld connections takes one of our discounts, four-five favors for a boost in a rating for a sample, this villain is essentially our asset," she explained. "We use a favor to have the asset join a certain organization. At that point, we have an asset in a position of value, something that would be difficult for a hero. To add to that, Cauldron is an amoral organization. We certainly have rules and ethics, but only so much as it helps our goals. That includes selling to people such as yourself, even if it's clear that you only have so much capital at your age."

Izuku winced at that last comment. Everything she said was true. Still, it didn't sit right with him, but there wasn't much he could do. He was, if he were to believe the doctor's words, in a different reality at their mercy. Well, even if she was lying, it wasn't any better. They have someone who can teleport people, so either way, he was still in a different location completely at their mercy. And the way she phrased it, have an asset in a position of value. Could be something evil like the Yakuzas and the like...or...it could be something like the police….

"I'm, I'm sorry for my outburst," he apologized in a low voice.

"That's fine, it happens half of the times with patrons who aspire to be heroes."

"Um...about the favors, are...are they bad?"

"I'm assuming you mean illegal," the Doctor replied, "some are. The favors could be for you to deliver a message, follow and report on a person of interest, or even scare off individuals who poke their nose too deep into Cauldron."

"...What… kind of favor would I, um, me specifically, what would I be doing?"

"I don't know. That's usually left open for the foreseeable future." Izuku gave a slow nod as he swallowed. He didn't like that. It also didn't help that he was now getting paranoid thoughts, for example, the lady who talked to him, the doctor talking to him, and even the teleporter, were they simply doing favors or were they apart of Cauldron?

"Um...earlier you said there was an "r" value," he said, trying to focus on the conversation, "what, what is that?"

" **R**...ah yes, we did gloss over that for a reason. **R** stands for the predictability of sample," she opened a drawer and pulled out a file with the image of some sort of vial with a label on it and handed it to him, "thus far we can only offer a theme, not an exact power. If you buy a sample that offers flight, for example, you would get a form of flight. As for how you actually fly, we really can't guarantee that. That picture in your hands is sample **T-6-0-0-1,** a sample with a high **R** value with a theme of flight. Out of seventy subjects, it has only failed to grant a form of flight on two occasions. Contrast that," she motioned for him to flip the page over, to which he did, "to sample **B-0-0-30** , a sample with a low **R** value. The sample has given eight individuals an ability related to implosion. A portal in a person's mouth that sucks everything in and disintegrates it, for example."

"Ah, like Thirteen," Izuku said out loud. The Doctor stared at him. "Um the hero, Thirteen, the actual number, um, he's, he's dressed like an astronaut, like apollo...13. He can create a sort of black hole in his fingers that sucks every-everything in and dis-disintegrates it. S-sorry. For. inter..rupting," he said, looking down at the table, avoiding the doctor's gaze, briefly.

"I see," the Doctor said, "yes, it certainly is like that. As I said earlier, the sample granted eight individuals with an ability related to implosion. Three of those individuals died, two others were horribly disfigured, one of which can no longer walk while the other has reduced cognitive functions," she explained factly.

Izuku's blood ran cold after hearing that. He heard it earlier, but it was now beginning to sink in just how much of a risk he would be taking. The way Izuku understood it, a high R-rating offered a better chance of gaining something, without any drawbacks. Low R-rating...could outright kill him if not horribly disfigured him or severely impair him. He was starting to see why surviving could be a bad thing. Then he thought of something.

"Quirks," he said out of the blue, he quickly expanded on it, "in my reality, my earth," he shook his head, the Doctor could probably guess that, "most people have a quirk or a form of mutation. Not a strong or powerful, but it's there. If quirks, um, mutations and whatever these vials are, don't go well together then-"

"Then our **R** values can't be trusted, at least not with patrons from your home," the doctor finished. "A fair assessment," she conceded, "but rest assured that we will do everything on our end to lower the risk to you. Hence the two month waiting period. We actually have a few packages, one we call "Shaping" and another called "Morpheus," where we take advantage of the two month waiting period to put our client at an ideal mental and physical state to better achieve results."

"And that helps?"

"It does, an individual's mental and physical state does affect how powers manifest. Mind you, we can only guarantee that it will raise the odds in your favor. However, with your budget," she glanced at the number on the screen, "you can barely afford a power as it is. These packages are more geared towards wealthy clients. Normally," she typed, "this would be the part I show you the options," the computer screen changed to a diagram that showed the cost for different things, like high **P** value, low in **O** and **R** , or low in **P** , mid in **O,** and high in **R** , and every other variable in between, "and offer you the discounts."

"Nemesis, and favors," Izuku earned a nod from the doctor, "but not this time?" The doctor nodded once more

"Your reality, your earth, it's..." she a paused for a bit, "a new venture for Cauldron. Despite the issues we're experiencing with your reality, we find it to be too valuable to simply ignore or abandon. That said, there are more unusual risks involved for us. For one, in the next hour, we will not be able to access your reality for an uncomfortable amount of time." After hearing that he began to panic but the doctor raised her hand, probably already anticipated his reaction. "Settle down Junior, we'll get you home well before that becomes an issue. Another issue is that our usual methods of predictions don't seem to work well with your reality. Meaning, you can accrue a debt of eighty favors, but it's doubtful that Cauldron will get any real of value out of them. At least until we can work around the issue."

"Then...what…" he clenched his hands, he hated himself for what he was about to ask. "What are my options?"

"Given your circumstance," Doctor began, "and ours as well, favors won't cut it. Especially while you are still in education." Izuku gave a short nod, there was a limit to what he could do. "Instead Cauldron would like to propose an alternative. Tell me, how would you like a job, Junior?"

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Yep, Izuku is not inheriting All Might's power. I already have Izuku's power planned out. Originally I wanted him to be something of a mini Behemoth but that was too overpowered for me.

I'm sure this premise has been done in the BnHA fandom with characters and OC in the Bnha universe but I felt like doing this one for some odd reason. Well Later!


	2. Menu

Writing this made me realize how much I might enjoy seeing a protagonist with Othala's abilities. Read, enjoy, review!

I don't own Worm and MHA/BnHA

* * *

 _Tick_

 _Tick_

 _Tick_

Izuku lied on the couch as he heard the clock tick away.

"Tell me more about Kacchan. Have you given it any thoughts as to why you two are not as close as you once were?"

"I...I have," Izuku responded, "but it's always the same answer. It's me."

"Because you're quirkless?"

Izuku nodded. "I know...I know you said that it isn't my fault, but I can't help but feel or imagine how different things would be if I had a quirk. I mean...everyone else is still friends with Kacchan."

"But not you?"

"I..." he began but he didn't finish. He couldn't say it, he didn't want to say it.

"Junior?"

"He's not a bad person, honest," Izuku said, "out of everyone I know, he's the one person who doesn't want to just be a hero, he wants to be the greatest. Even better than All Might."

"Do you believe he can?"

Izuku nodded, a little difficult from his position, but he did so. "He has an amazing quirk. I'm sure he can do it."

"Even though he is harsh and rude to you?"

"That..."

"Despite it all, Kacchan is still your friend, Junior?"

"Y-yes," he answered.

"But you're not his?"

"T-that…"

"Would having a quirk remedy that?"

"..." Izuku didn't say anything.

"Would things be different?"

"I think it would. Sorry I know it's silly but-"

"No, that's okay. Sometimes, something so small and insignificant can make a difference. People view it as nothing, but that nothing could be a huge deal. Like saying "miss" or "sir" to people who wish to be referred to as such. Tiny things add up over time," she calmly explained as she scribbled something. "You and Kacchan would be as close as you once were, what else would change?"

"Well, I guess people wouldn't bully or dislike me for not having a quirk."

"Would they bully and dislike you for another reason?"

"Th-that well…." Izuku fidgeted, he was sure there would be other reasons if people looked hard enough, but he himself didn't think it would be that bad.

"My bad. Moving on, what kind of clubs would you have joined?"

"Clubs?"

"Yes, as I understand it, schools in Japan do have extracurricular activities, and from what you told me, you are not involved in any. "

"Well...I'm not really sure. Something hero related I guess," he shrugged. "I mean I'm sure if I had a quirk, things wouldn't be as they were now, so I really can't say. I mean, if things were different I...I wouldn't…."

"You wouldn't be here," she finished.

"Yeah..." Izuku nodded as he closed his eyes, sort of regretting the direction the conversation took. "You're great, Counsellor," he quickly amended, "it's just, everything is..."

"I understand. Cauldron's product and modus operandi can be very unsavory, but such is the reality for such a product. We're getting closer to the date. Just a few days away. How do you feel?"

"...Uneasy, I guess," Izuku pushed himself up, dragging his feet close together, he hugged his knees. "Sorry to ask again, but, is...is it scary?" He turned to look across from him.

"Well...It really isn't all that different from what they told you," the lady's said, her painted lips moving seamlessly. "You'll get a jumpsuit you change into, get led into a room with a table, a chair, a desk with a camera, and a metal container with a label on it. Handle it carefully, chug as fast as you can and hope for the best. I can't say I expected this ability though, but it did open up more opportunities for me."

The person Izuku was talking to...was a painting.

The room he was in was basically a studio apartment converted into an office with comfortable chairs and couches, a bathroom with a shower and a very expensive looking tub with bottles of soap, a ticking clock, wonderful scented candles, tons of handmade paintings, art supplies, a bookshelf, a small fridge he was welcome to help himself to, and speakers to play music. Oh, and internet access.

The particular painting he was looking at was a tanned scientist with a calm and gentle smile, holding a notepad and a pen. It was in a gold-colored frame, the painted doctor wore a typical lab coat, safety goggles, in a white lab setting with thick black edges. There were a few vials and beakers filled with colorful liquid, but overall the lab was barren. It was the only painting in the room that stayed constant. The way Izuku understood it, The Counsellor could see and listen through the paintings she makes and even animate them, regardless of where the paintings are. She didn't tell him the range or what else she could do with the paintings. She went by Counsellor Ki'i, sounds like "key," she explained that it was a play on the Hawaiian word for image. He mostly just addressed her as Counsellor.

The first few times Izuku was just nervous, but The Counsellor assured him that he didn't have to talk if he didn't want to. He could simply do his homework if he wanted to or just hang out. Take his shoes off, lie on the couch and relax, maybe take a bubble bath if he really wanted to. He did so a few times, just come in to relax that is, on the days he didn't feel like talking, but even then he would talk near the end…. He did try the bubble bath once, it was nice.

He wasn't sure what to expect from therapy, or if his therapy was the standard, but he wasn't dreading it anymore. Sometimes he looked forward to it. Sure they talked about stuff he wasn't comfortable talking about, but other times they talked about other things like heroes, tv shows, a game or two, heroes, sometimes The Counsellor would help him with his homework, he'd open up and talk about his other problems, about heroes and what not.

He liked talking about heroes.

"You know," The Counsellor began, "you don't have to say 'yes.'"

"I know but…it feels wrong not to, I mean after everything...they even made an exception for me, on the account that I didn't really know what I want."

"Junior...you don't owe them anything. Doctor Mother only gave you an offer, nothing solid. You are free to turn it down."

"Yeah, yeah-yeah, I know," Izuku said shaking his head, his afro bouncing side to side, "but I feel bad, I mean, everything they're doing isn't their norm, and I don't even have a theme, plus all this time spent on me-"

"Would be what you paid for," The Counsellor quickly interrupted. "Medical exams, physical training, and these sessions, it's nothing unusual, Junior."

Izuku didn't say anything but he nodded.

"If you are dead set on taking the deal, have you at least decided what theme you wanted or a category?"

"Sort of," Izuku said with a shrug as turned to face the painting. He had spent a lot of time thinking about the categories they gave him. "I'm not really sure. I asked about Brute, I mean I...I asked how much strength at All Might's level would cost."

"I imagine that would be a hefty price if it worked," The Counsellor said.

"Yeah...it's, it's not one I'm considering. For...for the amount of time I would be working for Cauldron...strength, um, the brute category doesn't seem too practical, at least not for the projected P value Dr. Mother quoted me. I could make it work if I tried I guess, but, I don't think I would be able to accomplish much."

"Fair. Besides Brute, have you thought of anything else? Stranger, Master, Blaster? Maybe a Changer?"

"I thought about Tinker, and ah, Stranger too I guess," he added that last part a bit awkwardly. "With tinker, I feel like it would be easier to justify the ability but...Dr. Mother showed me other examples of Tinker Tech and a read a bit about Tinkers. With enough time and material, even if I can't make something for general use, I could build something to counter specific villains. Though, I really don't know if I could pass off what I build as "it just works" and can't be mass produced. That's if whatever I build would even be approved for use, my use anyway."

"A downside no doubt, but manageable. And Stranger?" Izuku shrugged.

"Plenty of heroes have quirks that aren't really suitable for a fair fight, or a fight at all. They do fine. I figured that a stealth-based power would suit me. I guess the downside would be that I would have to keep out of the spotlight."

"Something you are not entirely fond of to begin with, so a positive point."

"Right. That and, well, it's stealth. Even if I got something extra, I doubt I would have any 'firepower,' so to speak."

"True, but there's always a chance. Anything else? Mover, Breaker, Trump?"

"I've...I've thought about Trump. It's moar-more costly, but something like a Trump Null would be good like Eraser Head, but I don't know if it would work with quirks."

"It would be an interesting experiment," Izuku nodded.

"If I could hand out some powers like-ah, like-ah," Izuku struggled to find the right words.

"Like a video game buff," The Counsellor provided.

"Yeah-YEAH! Giving people healing or strength for a limited time," Izuku said, "I could do that but, but then-"

"But then you would need to be more social and active within a group," The Counsellor finished for him. "Does the thought worry you?"

"N-no, nothing like that, I don't think. More...anxious I guess?"

"Not unreasonable. In a group setting, especially one meant for the work that heroes engage in, trust and communication is important. It can also be stress inducing. What about the other side of trumps? Adapting new abilities? I believe they gave you a few examples."

"Yeah, I thought about that too. For, for the deal that I'm okay with, raw power wouldn't be too strong but I would have a lot more options I can work with...but then again, creating or adapting multiple abilities would make people look at me more closely, wouldn't it? Especially when you consider my parent's quirk."

"Speaking of which, if I recall correctly, your father breaths fire and your mother can attract small objects?" Izuku nodded, "have you thought about abilities with similar themes?"

"A little bit, but I'm not really sure. I've..." Izuku hesitated, "I thought that maybe it'd be cool to turn myself into fire, like a Breaker, but, I didn't, the idea didn't stick. Also...the thought that I could end up as a slime or simply unable to touch anything..."

"Changing states does incite a bit of worry," The Counsellor said. "Can I assume Changer is out for the same reason?"

"I'm not that worried but I'm just not sure what I can do with it. I mean, I thought about maybe copying people's body, and in a sense, their quirks or being able to shapeshift however I want."

"A Trump Changer, certainly useful in our reality." The Counsellor said. "What about Thinker?"

"To be honest I'm not really sure how that would work," Izuku admitted, "I mean they explained that I would get an ability that allows me to process or obtain information but I'm not really sure what Thinker ability would help. I'm not even sure if it would be worth it considering the P range. I mean I could get something like precognition and be like Sir Nighteye, or something that lets me scan my environment, but-"

"You yourself would not be as strong and would require a team to be used to your fullest potential."

"Right. Between Thinker and Tinker, I think it would be better to be a Tinker. In our reality, I can just spend my time building things, refine it, and practice with it and figure out a workaround for information gathering."

"A reasonable assessment. What about Master or Shaker?"

"I...I don't like Master. I mean. I don't like the idea of forcing others to do things against their will or changing their behaviors, especially for my sake."

"Of course, that's very kind of you, but Master isn't limited to humans. Or living objects for that matter," The Counsellor added.

"I know, but, it still doesn't feel right to me. Shaker...I have mixed thoughts about. I could control or affect the environment, make things harder for villains. Depending on my power I could try to replicate some Shakers like Cementos. I think he's teaching at UA actually. But I could just as easily hurt people if I mess up."

"I see. Shaker does seem to require a lot of control and concentration. You talked about different categories but it seems you are more interested in close quarter combat. Do Striker abilities strike your fancy, pun intended," The Counsellor said with mirth in her tone.

"Heh heh, I guess," Izuku laughed while scratching the back of his head. "I don't think Blasters are bad, but I feel that I would do better with Striker abilities. I mean I understand that whatever power I get it would be limited to my immediate area, but it feels like I get more security with Striker than I would with an ability with range like Blaster."

"I can see that. In that case, you would need a way to close the gap between yourself and your opponent. Would something of a Mover Striker appeal to you?"

"I guess," Izuku shrugged, he heard the scribbles again.

"From what I can tell, a Tinker ability with a specialty in a Striker category and a minor Mover rating would suit you best. The technology might raise a few questions, as well as the...unique quirks associated with Tinkers. Though I personally don't think it would be that big of an issue. If you wanted something you could train or use right away, a Striker category with a Mover aspect would work. If a Trump rating is something you really want, you could always ask for it or for something versatile. Whether it would work is different question. From my understanding, Tinkers can also be considered a sort of Trump because they can branch out to other fields. I believe the example they used was photography."

"Ah, yes." Izuku said, "I mean I've heard about it before but I never put much thought into it. I mean photography evolving from being a chemical process into a digital one, no one really thinks of that." The example Doctor Mother had given him about Tinker technology was that a Tinker who specialized in software could create a way to take photos digitally where as a Tinker with a specialty in chemicals (for simplicity sake) could do the same with chemicals. Two different specialties achieving the same function with different means showed how a Tinker could branch out if they applied themselves.

"It is pretty interesting to think about," The counsellor agreed. "I believe we have a few minutes left. If you wish to stay for the rest of the duration you may, or if you want to move to physical training, you may."

"Oh-okay," Izuku said as he began to collect his things. When he was done, he stopped before looking at the painting. "Aren't we...aren't we going to talk about All Might?" Normally when Izuku brings it up the subject of heroes, they spend at least a minute or two talking about All Might before they change the topic. Izuku figured that it would be relevant.

"Not today. Did your mother sign the forms?"

"Ah yes," Izuku said as he fished out said forms. It was disguised as a form for the gym he started going to. "Um...where, where am I going?"

"It's a surprise, be sure to pack everything you want to bring."

"Ah, yes I will!"

* * *

"Urhh," Izuku grunted.

"Jeez-Luise-you're a weak mackerel," the lady said in a bored tone as she eyed Izuku every now and again. She mostly just kept to her phone.

Izuku himself was sweating and gritting his teeth as he tried to lift the weight off his chest. He was bench pressing something he suspected might be a smidge too heavy for him to lift.

The lady next to him looked to be in her twenties, blond hair, tanned skin, and what he suspected was expertly applied makeup. She wore pink sweatpants that were a darker shade than normal, a white t-shirt that was tight around her cleavage, and a matching pink hoodie that was left unzipped. From what Izuku understood, she was another person who became an employee of Cauldron in exchange for an ability. She was also the legal owner of the gym. That said, he's never seen her work out or do any sort of administrative work. The few times he arrived outside of his scheduled training sessions, he's only seen her lounge about and hit on good looking men, sometimes couples too.

He has no idea what ability she has. She never talked about it nor gave any indication that she had any power. If he's being honest, he actually has no idea what her name is and at this point, he is too embarrassed to ask!

Their interaction has always been her giving Izuku a sort of routine and left him to his own devices most of the time. Sometimes, when she was bored, she would check up on him and see how he was doing.

Right now was one of those times.

"Aaaaaand-done," She said as she helped Izuku put the bar back before he collapsed on his back and closed his eyes as he caught his breath. "Take a ten-minute break then hit the treadmills for a run I guess. After that, take one last quick break then finish off on the exercise bicycles as cooldown workout."

He nodded as he caught his breath.

He opened his eyes to find that she had already walked away. He reached for his phone and checked the time. He grabbed a rag nearby and wiped the sweat off his body. He grabbed his stuff and moved to one of the available treadmills. When he got there he drank water from his bottle and rested before he started a different workout.

The gym was surprisingly close to where he lived. It was pretty popular too. People would come in and use the equipment. The fees were affordable but there were only a handful of trainers. Not that people minded. This gym was where the bulk of his physical therapy happened.

While his trainer didn't fill him with much confidence, he had to admit that he was getting stronger. His stamina was better; when he started doing morning runs it felt a lot more bearable compared to the previous times he participated in the mandatory runs the schools have their students do. While he didn't have much to work with, even after he started bulking up a little, his body was slowly but surely getting toned. He still looked like a "skinny mackerel", according to his trainer, but he felt better about his body.

He glanced at himself in one of the nearby mirrors. He wore red basketball shorts with white sweat-stained shirt labelled: "WORKOUT," in black print. He could see himself sweating. Izuku had to admit, despite the reason and the trainer, he actually felt better about himself.

"I...don't owe them anything," he muttered to himself.

"HEY!" He flinched when he heard his trainer shout. "NO SLACKING OFF!"

"S-SORRY!" he shouted as he got on the treadmill, realizing afterward that his break wasn't even over yet.

* * *

"I'm home," Izuku said he walked into his apartment.

"Welcome home, dear!" He heard his mother shout back. He could smell her cooking from the door as he took his shoes off and it made his mouth water. "How was your workout?"

"It was alright," his body felt heavy and he wanted to do nothing more than collapse on his pillow after he ate. Sadly he still had his homework to do along with a bit of studying.

"Alright, dinner will be ready in a bit."

"Okay," he said as he entered his room. He sat his school bag down and his gym bag full of dirty clothes, he has a locker at the gym where he kept it. He had showered earlier at the gym but he might soak in the tub later.

He walked to his bed and collapsed on it. He let himself melt into his sheets, his consciousness ebbing away. But he forced himself to stay awake.

"Just a few days left," he muttered. He rolled to the edge of his bed and felt around underneath it. Then he found it, a USB hidden on the wooden ledge of his bed. His fingers shook as held onto it. Not only was it an expensive USB that could hold a lot of data, it was one that was given to him by Cauldron. Dr. Mother said it was a way for him to know that they were being truthful with him.

He forced himself out of his bed and walked to his computer, an old hand me down. He plugged in the drive and looked at what was stored. It had six films. Star Wars Episode I-VI. Growing up in Masutafu, he gained a small appreciation for the franchise. His parents have a set of the original Star Wars films and the remakes created to account for quirks. The remakes didn't work out that well. So he's seen Star Wars before, but the six films in the USB were different. They followed the same plot, and the first few episodes were still bad compared to 4, 5, and 6, but they were better executed and had better actors, CGI, and sound work. Izuku tried to find those same films online but found that he couldn't. They didn't exist in his reality.

Izuku tried to brush it off as a quirk or something. But he honestly didn't see anyone going through the trouble of remaking the films and not selling or distributing them in any way or form. As much as he didn't want to believe it, he had good reason to suspect that Dr. Mother was being truthful with him.

He sighed, ignoring the urge to go through all six films again to see if he can spot something, anything that would discredit Dr. Mother in any way.

"Izu-dear! Dinner's ready," he heard his mother shout.

"Coming!" he shouted as he unplugged the USB and hid it under his bed again.

* * *

School was still school.

Not much had really changed. He still got teased and the like. Bakugo...was still Bakugo, but Bakugo found that he was too busy to waste his time on Izuku. Despite not being as close as they once were, Izuku knew Bakugo was aiming higher than just simply getting admitted into UA, he was aiming to be number one. Contrary to how he projects himself, Bakugo was a hard worker in addition to being talented.

That didn't mean he stopped blowing off steam by ridiculing or bullying Izuku every once in a while. It was just rarer now, and a lot harsher too. However, Izuku found he could weather it better than he used to. It still hurt deep down, but talking to Counsellor Ki'i helped a lot.

Today had been one of those days where he was too busy to even bother with Izuku, his friends too. Bakugo was more or less their leader and they were intent on following him to UA. They were just not as hardworking or talented as Bakugo.

After school was over he headed over to the gym and when he got there...he wasn't sure. He was going on a short trip. Something he had his mother sign. On paper it was a mountain trip for some sort of training, but he very much doubted he was going to do that.

He looked at the text his mom sent him, asking him to take pics of the trip, to which he said he would, already thinking of an excuse as to why he didn't.

He sighed at that. He didn't like lying to his mother or the fact that he was starting to plan them out.

By the time he made it to the gym, he noted a bus outside with people slowly boarding it. He went to the line when he saw he trainer near the door wave at him.

He waved back.

She visibly got angry. Izuku then realized she probably meant for him to go towards her. He quickly rushed to her and she swatted him on the head. Though it didn't really hurt, he still yelped.

"C'mon," she said as she led into the gym. There were a few people working out but none seem to pay them any attention. She eventually led him through the office where there were two maybe three people typing away on a computer but none of them seem to even notice the two.

Eventually she led him to a metal door with an electronic keypad on it. She pressed her finger on it, some sort of biometric scan, then she typed in a five digit password. The door opened and she walked inside, Izuku followed her in.

The entire room was made of metal.

A safe room, Izuku realized. The room has a very large king sized bed, a huge fridge, a small cooking area, and a door that was slightly ajar, giving him hints of a bathroom. For the most part it was a safe room then. But someone just needs the right quirk to get in. He briefly wondered if she lived here when he spotted his duffle bag. The one his mother packed for him.

"Here's your shit," she pointed at the duffle bag.

"Ah..." Izuku wasn't really sure what he was supposed to do.

"Well, enjoy your trip," she said as she passed him.

"Wait-what?" He asked, but she didn't answer and left him alone in the room.

After she was gone he turned to look at his duffle bag. He walked to it and grabbed it. Then he heard it. It was distant but he could hear the sounds of cars moving and horns honking. He turned around and found himself staring at a bunch of buildings from an elevated position.

"...I know this," Izuku realized. Not the city but the "portal" that led to it. It was probably the same one that took him that other place when he met Dr. Mother.

Without really thinking about it, he grabbed his bag, and took it with him through the portal. After the weird sensation of the world shaking, he felt a rush of air and realized he still had his school bag with him.

He noted that he was on the roof somewhere. He walked to the edge, carefully looked down. A wave of vertigo made him nauseous, forcing him to take a few overly-healthy steps back in a haste. After he calmed down he tried to think of what to do.

Izuku had no idea. He was on a rooftop somewhere, maybe a new world, but he wasn't told what to do. Was this what the Counsellor had planned for him?

"Welcome to Earth Bet." A male voice said in English from behind him. To say he was startled would be an understatement. He jumped and let out a cry of surprise as he turned around only to slip on his foot and fall down.

"Whoa-sorry about that," the man apologized, "I didn't mean to scare you." He was a tall man with short brown hair, a square jaw, white skin with a lean but muscular physique. He wore a skin-tight costume that had white gloves and boots, it was blue with a white pattern that was a cross between lighting and fire in the middle of his body. He wore a blue and silver mask that covered his eyes and the area around them, leaving his hair, mouth, chin and forehead free for the world to see.

"Ah...is fine," Izuku responded in the same language as he calmed down, the man didn't seem like he was trying to harm him at least. The man nodded before he approached.

"Junior, right?" He said with a smile as he put his hand out, Izuku nodded as he took the hand without really thinking about it.

"It's nice to meet you, you can call me **Legend.** "

* * *

 **Author's note:**

To Izuku, All Might was THE standard. The bar he measured all heroic acts by. So it made me wonder, what would happen if Izuku met someone who raised that bar even higher or just utterly breaks it.

For those of you who caught it, yes that was a halo/ r vs b reference.

Um in regards to Izuku's power, I found that I liked it a lot but it suffered from escalation problems. It's versatile but in such a manner that makes some of the other aspects of the power either pointless later on or just useless, so I had to rework it in my head. A few times I just thought about going with a similar power I found to be pretty cool that I was actually shocked I or anyone else hadn't thought about using in the BnHA fandom. It's from a web novel called "Inheritance," the protagonist can basically convert heat into kinetic energy, which requires black edgy clothing to generate and retain heat. But I like the power too much to give up on it. So i'm thinking of different ways to make the power limiting and fun. Huge fan of powers with limits for characters to overcome or work around.

Um part of the reason this is late is because I started writing original stories and that takes up part of my time.


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